


Save the Present, Relive the Past, Kill the Future

by Ninalb



Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: Implied/Referenced Abuse, Mind Control, Red Army, Red Leader is a dick, Time Travel, WTPresent AU, green resistance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-11
Updated: 2019-01-11
Packaged: 2019-10-08 08:37:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17383283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ninalb/pseuds/Ninalb
Summary: Thomas and Mathew traveled back into their past in order find Edward in order to bring him back to Red Leader. They can't help but want to stay in the past instead of return to the war in their present. Red Leader isn't pleased when he realizes that they aren't coming back.





	Save the Present, Relive the Past, Kill the Future

**Author's Note:**

> Here's something that you should probably know before reading this story.
> 
> Future Tom, Matt, and Edd are referred to by their full names to avoid confusion.  
> Thomas and Mathew are in the Red Army.  
> Edward is part of the Green Resistance. He is currently on the run since the recent defeat of his army.  
> Thomas, Mathew, and Edward have decided to live in peace together with their past selves.  
> Tord has not yet left/done the robot thingy.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this!

Red Leader stepped through the portal, he could help but smile at the sight of his old home. He always wished he hadn’t demolished it; it was his home too. His robotic arm clenched into a fist as he remembered the events that happened right after. But that was in the past, long in the past. He was the leader of the red army, which was slowly taking over Europe. But his crowning achievement was his molding of his former friends into his loyal and obedient dogs. Well, faithful wasn’t the word he would use to describe them right now. 

Edd had started The Resistance, or the Green Army, right under his nose. He had valuable information at his fingertips and had massively set back the red army. But soon the rat had been sniffed out, and Edd was on the run. He managed to steal a time machine and fled into the past. He had sent Thomas and Mathew back to retrieve him, dead or alive. They had failed to return. For a year. 

They had better be dead, or he was going to kill them himself. He had to make a whole new time machine to even get to this point, draining the red army of valuable resources. But he had to make sure that Edd wasn’t out there, about the change time or leap back into leading his army with a time machine in tow. Part of him had also been curious about what had happened to his two other friends, but his search had nothing to do with them.

He walked down the hallway, pausing as he heard familiar voices. He peeked into the living room to find that Edd and his past self were talking in low voices. He assumed that Matt and Tom were in Matt’s room playing video games. It was one of Tom’s favorite things to do on a Saturday night even if he would never admit it. He paused in front of Tom’s door before pushing it open. 

There Thomas laid on the bed, the covers slightly rising and falling with his chest. Red Leader knew it. When faced with the opportunity to live in the past rather than the war-bent present with him breathing down their necks, they had picked the past. Things always were simpler in the past.

But Red Leader couldn’t help the sense of betrayal he felt. The meant nothing to him, but the burning anger that was fueled by the hurt was building in his chest. He had trusted them! And they had stabbed him in the back! And he bet if he looked in the other rooms, he would find both Mathew and Edward living in the same house. They were traitors, all of them!

Red Leader silently strode to the bedside table, snatching up Thomas’s panel. Thomas only took them off when he slept, the cords that attached to his brain trailing out of his eyes. He hated his loss of vision, often having a panic attack when he couldn’t see. Red Leader remembered Thomas had lost his sight after one of their “scuffles” when he was first trying to “persuade” Thomas to his side. Maybe that had something to do with his reaction when he couldn’t see.

“Oh well,” Red Leader thought bitterly as he dropped the panel to the floor, smashing it under his foot.

The glass shattered, scattering all over the carpet floor. That would be a b*tch to clean up later, but it wasn’t his problem. At the sound, Thomas stirred, yawning as he stretched before reaching over to the bedside table. His hand searched around for a second, sliding back and forth across the surface of the table. He let out a sigh before moving his hand down the side of the table and feeling around the floor. He found nothing again. His hands returned to his sides before loosely wrapping around his waist.

“I swear if find Tom trying on my glasses again, I might just kill him,” Thomas sighed.

“He isn’t,” Red Leader growled, interrupting Thomas before he could try and call out to his friends.

Thomas froze shock and fear all over his face. 

“Sir?” Thomas asked quietly.

“Where the fuck have you been!” Red Leader growled Thomas’s deer-in-the-headlights look making him even angrier. 

“I-“ 

“No, I don’t even to hear it. I’ve already gotten it figured out,” Red Leader snarled, storming over to Thomas.

Thomas shrunk back, and Red Leader’s hand found itself wrapped familiarly around his neck. Thomas clawed at the robotic hand, gasping slightly. Red Leader was going to make him feel the pain he had caused him. He was going to make Thomas so afraid of the consequences that he never left his side for the rest of his life.

He pulled Thomas off the bed, slamming his knee into his chest as he fell. Thomas wheezed, the air knocked out of him. He panted on the ground, curled up with his hand over his head as Red Leader slammed his foot into his side. He was meet with a whimper; Thomas hadn’t yet recovered his breath to scream. Red Leader kicked him in the face with his other foot, ignoring the blood and tears that ran down Thomas’s face. 

He reached down and pulled Thomas up by the throat, pinning him against the wall. He was going to make Thomas regret the decision to ever turn his back on him. He was going to make Thomas wish that he had never been born. This is what he got for trying to betray the Red Leader. He slammed his fist into Thomas’s stomach, and he tried to curl up in pain while still clawing at the offending arm. He was met with a fist to the face, a black eye already visible along with his busted lip and a bloody nose. Thomas’s struggling had grown weaker as a different type of darkness was closing in on him. Red Leader landed one more punch deep into his gut before letting Thomas go. 

Thomas sank to the floor, chest heaving as he drew in shaky breaths. He was sobbing quietly, knowing that screaming would probably lead into another round of beating. 

“Get up,” Red Leader spat, “Get up you pathetic alcoholic.”

Tord knew that Tom hadn’t drunk in years, Tord hadn’t let him. But the name still rolled off his tongue, and Tom was too scared to correct him. Thomas stood up shakily, arms wrapped tightly around his chest. Red Leader pulled out another panel for Tom from a pocket inside his coat. He had designed the new model after realizing his friends had abandoned him. Never again would Thomas be able to betray him. Never again would he have that freedom. Red Leader could command him to come running back to him whenever he wanted. 

“Put this on, now.” Red leader shoved the glasses into Thomas’s hands, ignoring that they were covered in blood.

Thomas raised the glasses to his face before pausing. He rubbed his fingers around the sides, frowning slightly. If he noticed the difference between the glasses, he didn’t say anything. Which was good because Red Leader would have socked him in the stomach again. Thomas raised the panel up to his face without a fight. They both knew he was going to end up wearing them whether he like it or not. Thomas connected the wires together and slipped the panel over his head. His face went blank, two green eyes appearing on the screen. 

“Follow me,” Red Leader said, walking out of the room.

Thomas followed without a word. Red Leader looked down the hallway, glancing back at Thomas. The blank look on his face, in his eyes, it all… sort of unnerved Red Leader. He wasn’t sure why he didn’t like it. It was a sign of his total control over Thomas. He just had to get used to it. He stepped into the living room, unnoticed by the chatting group. A sharp gasp alerted Red Leader that he had been spotted. He turned to them, eying them judgmentally. Tom looked shocked, Edd scared, and Tord, he looked slightly angry. But it didn’t matter what they thought. He was coming to collect his soldiers, kill Edd, and then leave. 

“Thomas, what happened to you?” Edd ran up to him.

Thomas just stared at him, his neon green eyes blinking rhythmically.

“Tord,” Tom growled, black eyes narrowing as he stood up. 

“Jehovah,” Red Leader sneered, “It’s Red Leader now. I will forgive you just this once.”

Tom’s didn’t go any farther than glaring at him. Red Leader assumed that he had heard from his dogs about his cruelty. Ahh, he was right to fear him. He would do awful things to him. Thomas could surely attest to that. 

“Mathew,” Red Leader ordered, watching as Tom stood protectively in front of him, “Come here.”

Mathew didn’t move; he looked terrified of Red Leader and horrified by the blood dripping down Thomas’s glasses. 

“Tord,” Edward growled, “What did you do to Thomas?” 

You’ve hurt Thomas,” Mathew’s voice was full of bitter pain, “You always do this to him.”

“He’s been bad,” Red Leader hummed, “He deserves it.”

“You’re a monster!” Tord shouted, eyes wide in horror.

“No, we’re a monster,” Red Leader sneered at his younger self.

“Whatever, I’m out of here,” Red Leader stated, “Thomas, kill Edward and bring back Mathew. And don’t be slow.”

Red Leader tossed a pistol into Thomas’s hands. He stared at it for a second; green eyes blinking dully as if he was staring at a wall. Then he lifted the pistol up, lining the sight up with Edward’s head.

“Don’t do it!” Edd yelped, throwing himself in front of his future version, “Please Thomas, you’re better than this.”

The other’s moved to get in front of Edward as well, but Thomas pulled another pistol out of his belt. He pointed it at them, causing them all to freeze.

“Don’t move,” Thomas droned, frowning slightly. 

Tom twitched, his jaw clenching. The screen went blank for a second before the green eyes were back. 

“Thomas, you hate Tord!” Tom was shouting, “Why would you listen to him?! I know you hate him! I know you hate him for what he did to you, to your friends, to the world! You told me! Don’t do this! I know you don’t want to do this! Edward’s your friend! He’s our friend!”

The green eyes glitched, spazzing back and forth on the screen. Thomas growled, clutching the glasses a black goop dripping from underneath. Thomas was making a noise that was a combination between a snarl and a whimper. Then in one swift motion, he tore the glasses off, tearing the wires out with them. He screamed, clutching his eyes as he sank to his knees. Mathew stepped on the panel, breaking it before putting an arm around Thomas’s shoulder. He pulled his friend to his feet, tearing off his coat and wrapping it around Tom’s face. A small gasp could be heard from Matt before Edd elbowed him in the stomach. They heard a growl from behind them and turn to see Red Leader with a murderous look on his face.

“Well, well, well. You’ve broken my newest toy,” Red Leader growled.

They were no good to him. He didn’t even need friends. The great Red Leader needed nobody. He had wasted too much time on them already. He reached into the belt of his coat, pulling out what looked like a mini machine gun.

“Travel size,” Red Leader patted the gun as he took in their expressions, “Like it?”

Red Leader was going to kill them all. They were all a whole batch of traitors. He doubted his past self could even be saved after all the lies they fed into his head. He needed to be ruthless, sympathy and feelings weren’t going to get him anywhere. Oh well, this is what war is. Sometimes you just have to kill your childhood friends. There was a click as the safety went off. Red Leader smiled. 

“Goodbye, old friends,”

BANG!

Everyone gasped, jumping back in surprise. Red Leader had a victorious smirk on his face…and a bullet hole right through his forehead. Behind him, Thomas stood panting, one hand shakily clutching the gun. Red Leader sunk forward, splattering blood all over the carpet. 

“Holy cows on a plane,” Tom whispered, eyes white with surprise.

They stood there for a second, unsure of what just happened, and what to do next. Eventually, Thomas picked up the body and tossed it into the fireplace. Everyone left the room, crowding into the kitchen.

“Holy fuck, we just killed Tord,” Edd whispered.

“How did you even aim that?” Matt asked.

“He was talking too much. I just pointed the gun towards the sound.” Thomas hummed.

“What are we going to do now?” Mathew asked. 

“I still have his time machine, we’re going back,” Edward answered.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” Edd offered, “I mean, from you guys' descriptions it practically hell out there.”

“We have to,” Edward sighed, “We have to fix Tord’s mess.”

“I’m sorry.” Tord looked mortified, “I’m such an awful person.”

“You haven’t done anything yet,” Mathew put an arm on Tord’s shoulder, “Red Leader is an awful person. But you’re Tord.”

“Does this mean our future isn’t going to be World War 3?” Matt asked.

“Ya,” Tord smiled, “Definitely no world wars.”

The four smiled, hugging each other. They wished their future selves good luck, watching as they made their way back to their present. They stared at each other unsure of what to do. What would they do after witnessing such an event. There wasn't much else to do besides return to their normal lives.

“Wanna go play Monopoly?” Edd asked, wanting to do anything besides sit around and think about it.

“Yes! I’m gonna own everything! Hahaha!” Tord laughed.

Tom, Matt, and Edd gave him an unsure look.

“I’m only kidding,” Tord waved his hand in a placating gesture.

His friends smiled, wrapped their arms around him, and headed into the living room.


End file.
